Health Options Digest
June 13, 2004
Coalition for Health Options In Central Eugene-Springfield (CHOICES)
In This Issue
From the Editor
Week in Review
Last Wednesday, the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled that PeaceHealth cannot construct a regional hospital at Gateway under current land use plans. It left open the possibility that Springfield might be able to amend its plans to allow such a hospital. In a separate message, we will offer answers to questions about what the ruling means and what should be done next.
The United Way of Lane County recently released a report showing that an increasing number of families in Lane County are struggling to pay for housing and health care.
Last Tuesday, state health officials said they will slash enrollment in the Oregon Health Plan over the next year.
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Looking Ahead
On Monday, the Springfield City Council and Springfield Chamber of Commerce will discuss urban renewal districts proposed for Glenwood and downtown.
On Wednesday, the Eugene City Council will discuss siting a hospital in Eugene.
On Friday, the Oregon Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments in the case of Friends of Eugene v. City of Eugene. At issue is whether or not Eugene can allow hospitals in residential and industrial zones of the city. As the Court of Appeals just overturned LUBA's decision on essentially the same issue in Springfield, it is likely that the court will similarly overturn LUBA's decision in the Eugene case. If so, Eugene -- like Springfield -- won't be able to site a major hospital on residential land, at least not without redesignating the land for commercial uses.
While it might seem that such a ruling would delay a hospital coming to Eugene, McKenzie-Willamette/Triad's difficulties obtaining a Certificate of Need to locate in Eugene and the new uncertainties with PeaceHealth's plans will likely lead McKenzie-Willamette/Triad to proceed with caution.
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Rob Zako, Editor
343-5201
rzako@efn.org
Calendar
Monday, June 14 -- Springfield City Council
Springfield City Hall, 225 Fifth St., Springfield
Contact: Amy Sowa, City Manager's Office, 726-3700
5:30 p.m., Work Session, Jesse Maine Room
1. Joint Meeting with Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.
2. Police Planning Task Force Application Review.
3. Review Proposed Management Agreement Between the City of Springfield and the Springfield Museum Board.
4. Interim Ward 6 Councilor Discussion.
7:15 p.m., Executive Session, Jesse Maine Room
1. Acquisition of Real Property.
7:30 p.m., Special Regular Meeting, Jesse Maine Room
1. Approve the May 18, 2004 Primary Election Report of Board of Canvassers and Proclamation for Springfield Mayor and City Council Positions for Ward 1, Ward 3, Ward 4 and Ward 6.
See also: 'Big picture' necessary part of urban renewal proposal
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Wednesday, June 16 -- Eugene City Council
City Hall, 777 Pearl St., Eugene
Noon, Work Session, McNutt Room
1. Recommendations on a Eugene Civic Center Vision.
2. Hospital Property Update.
Contact: Lynda Rose, 682-5017, lynda.l.rose@ci.eugene.or.us
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Friday, June 18 -- Oregon Court of Appeals
1:30 p.m., Supreme Court Courtroom, 1163 State St., Salem, OR 97301-2563, (503) 986-5555
A124714 -- Oral Arguments: Friends Of Eugene v. City of Eugene
Justices David V. Brewer, Mary J. Deits, and Leeson presiding.
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PeaceHealth
Court delivers hospital setback
By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard | June 10, 2004 |
PeaceHealth's RiverBend project suffered serious contusions at the hands of the Oregon Court of Appeals on Wednesday.
The court gave opponents of the project a significant victory, ruling that the proposed $350 million regional medical center and adjoining commercial complex violate a number of land use and other rules.
The court said PeaceHealth cannot build the hospital on land that is designated for residential use. The entire site PeaceHealth wants for the hospital is currently designated for housing in Eugene-Springfield's growth management plans.
The court also upheld an earlier ruling by the state Land Use Board of Appeals against PeaceHealth. In that ruling, the land use board said the plans for the nine-story hospital and adjoining proposed commercial development violate state transportation planning rules that require evaluation and mitigation of increased traffic on state roads and interchanges as the huge project is built.
The court's decision doesn't kill PeaceHealth's plan to build the RiverBend development on 180 acres east of Game Farm Road in Springfield's Gateway district. But it effectively ends any chance of PeaceHealth starting construction on the hospital this year.
What happens next is unclear. Those unhappy with the latest ruling have 35 days to petition the Oregon Supreme Court to review the appellate panel's decision, said Meg Kieran, an attorney for Springfield.
Absent an appeal, Springfield and PeaceHealth will have to backtrack and take a different route through the planning process in order to rectify the land use deficiencies identified by the court. It's not clear what that would look like or how long it would take. (more...)
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Court of Appeals Rules on RiverBend
As soon as the Court of Appeals ruled on the Riverbend project, reaction came from both sides. Surprisingly, both appeared to be celebrating a win.
"Basically the court has said, go back to square one PeaceHealth you didn't do your homework here," Jan Wilson with CHOICES said.
"From our perspective this is a really good decision," PeaceHealth's Brian Terrett said.
So, who's spinning this? Or, is it really a win for both? What did the court say?
It started by agreeing with a recent decision by the Land Use Board of Appeals. It said, PeaceHealth and the City of Springfield need to study both the econmic impact of the hospital, and the impact to transportation.
That's not new-- "In terms of additional information on transportation and economic development we've got that info, we're ready to move ahead," Terrett said.
Not so fast.
The court also took issue with zoning at the RiverBend site. It's supposed to be zoned residential. But, the city approved a zone change to allow PeaceHealth to move in. The court says, Springfield can't do that because the hospital portion of the project is too big for what is suposed to be residential property.
Terrett explains, "We can just apply for a different type of zoning."
Sounds simple, but opponents of the project will likely fight any new zone designation as well.
"We need some lands reserved for housing and a hospital complex gobbling up 100 acres of residential land isn't going to work, it's not what this community planned for," says Wilson.
PeaceHealth plans to sit down withe the City of Springfield and see which other zones, like commercial, could work on the RiverBend site.
It fully expects appeals from opponents, but says, opponents are now limited in what they can say.
Terrett says, "They'll be limited to any issues that aren't new, that haven't already been brought up."
One thing is certain-- this ruling is a delay for RiverBend-- although the hospital says it's still committed to building at this site.
Attorneys for the city of Eugene are also looking closely at this ruling. The Eugene City Council also approved an ordinance to allow hospitals in residential zones, but it's currently under fire by CHOICES, the group opposed to RiverBend.
PeaceHealth has 35 days to decide whether to appeal to the Oregon Supreme Court.
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City Reacts to Court Ruling on RiverBend
The City of Springfield is confident it can keep PeaceHealth's planned regional hospital at RiverBend alive, despite the set-back from the recent Court of Appeals ruling. Bill Griles, the Springfield Development Services Director says, "We view this as sort of a bump in the road, and not the end of the road." That bump came from the Oregon Court of Appeals.
The court ruled PeaceHealth and the city need to look again at how this proposal would impact economic and transportation issues. That's not new, but the court also took issue with the zoning the city used to allow PeaceHealth to build at RiverBend.
The acreage is zoned residential, but the city made a change to allow PeaceHealth to move in. The court says, Springfield can't do that because the hospital portion of the project is too big for what is supposed to be residential property. Brian Terrett, of PeaceHealth says, "We don't see this as stopping the project, we see this as clarifying a number of issues."
What's clear is that both Springfield and PeaceHealth are going to look closely at their options. Those include appealing to the Oregon Supreme Court. The court would choose whether to hear the case. They could also go back and see if the land could be re-zoned, say to commercial land. The question here is whether re-zoning the land would require a change to the Metro Plan, the area's long term growth plan. Metro Plan amendments can take years. Griles says, "There's different ways to approach it, and I'm going to let the lawyers weigh in on what they think is the most viable way to approach it."
If the city can prove it's zoning supports the Metro Plan, it doesn't need an amendment. But, it could still face challenges, from the other decision makers in the metro area: the City of Eugene and Lane County.
Springfield will sit down with its attorneys tomorrow, to start looking at options. The City of Eugene is preparing to defend its own hospital ordinance at the Court of Appeals next week. It's attorneys don't know yet if the RiverBend ruling effects Eugene's hospital ordinance, which also allows hospitals in residential areas.
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Slant -- Court of Appeals
| Eugene Weekly | June 10, 2004 |
Just as we go to press we hear that opponents of PeaceHealth's mega-hospital plans in Springfield have won a major victory in the Oregon Court of Appeals. Details are slim, but it seems PeaceHealth lost on most, if not all, contended issues, including the need for transportation planning, economic impact planning and neighborhood zoning. Congratulations to the opponents of this development who have fought for two and a half years against what many figured was a "done deal."
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Editorial -- A significant setback: Court rules PeaceHealth project has problems
| The Register-Guard | June 11, 2004 |
PeaceHealth's RiverBend project ran aground on Wednesday, high-centered on a series of land-use setbacks contained in an Oregon Court of Appeals ruling. PeaceHealth and the city of Springfield must remedy the serious defects cited by the court before the $350 million regional medical center can move forward.
Larger questions loom in the wake of the ruling. Chief among them: Can PeaceHealth withstand the increasing financial burden that opponents of its project are prepared to inflict through legal challenges every single step of the way?
Is the huge project -- a nine-story regional medical center designed to serve this area's health care needs for decades to come -- a good fit for the 180-acre site PeaceHealth has purchased?
Are everyone's health-care costs being increased unnecessarily as a result of the way this process has been handled? (more...)
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Commentary -- Heart health gets a boost from hospital-UO partnership
| By Rich Linton and Alan Yordy | June 9, 2004 |
In the Eugene-Springfield area, as in the rest of the nation, cardiovascular diseases are the No. 1 killer, claiming one life every 34 seconds. These ailments -- high blood pressure, coronary heart diseases, congestive heart failure, stroke and congenital cardiovascular defects -- kill more Americans than the next five leading causes of death combined.
Any efforts to bolster our region's enviable quality of life must also take aim at the heart of health care. And that's exactly what Sacred Heart Medical Center and the University of Oregon are doing. Last month, our organizations launched an innovative partnership that will have an immediate and long-lasting impact on the heart health of the five-county region surrounding Eugene-Springfield. After nearly 75 years as friendly neighbors, this is the first time we've formally collaborated as academic and medical professionals.
Several years in the making, the Oregon Heart & Vascular Institute will be among the premier heart and vascular centers in the Pacific Northwest. The institute will set the standard for heart and vascular care by bringing together the finest in medical expertise, treatment, research and prevention. (more...)
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McKenzie-Willamette/Triad
City eyes taxpayer options to help fund a hospital in Eugene
By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard | June 9, 2004 |
Eugene officials are considering asking taxpayers to dig deep for money to help pave Triad's way toward building a hospital in the city's downtown.
Subsidy options analyzed thus far by the city to help Triad Hospitals Inc. include issuing bonds; launching a campaign for a voter-approved capital levy; using urban renewal district taxes; using one-time dollars that may materialize over the next few years; and waiving permit fees and other development charges, according to an analysis drafted by city staff.
The list of options, prepared by the city as it mulls what -- if anything -- to do to assist in the hospital siting, was obtained by The Register-Guard in a public records request.
City Manager Dennis Taylor will present a list of options and recommendations to the City Council on June 16. (more...)
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Editorial -- Number crunch time: Eugene explores hospital financial incentives
| The Register-Guard | June 10, 2004 |
The city of Eugene's quest to broker a deal that allows McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center to move from Springfield to riverfront land now occupied by the Eugene Water & Electric Board is moving into the sharpened-pencil phase. Let's make sure those pencils -- particularly the ones tallying public money -- stay sharp. (more...)
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Letter -- EWEB site has access problems
| By Joe Ping, Eugene | June 10, 2004 |
I find it amazing that the Eugene City Council is so desperate for a hospital in Eugene that it would sell out a reclaimed wetland to build a hospital downtown. In fact, it wants to build it on a site that is worse than the site that PeaceHealth has chosen for its hospital. There is no parking. The roads provide only two ways in and two ways out, without a major overhaul of the downtown road system.
The city councilors, led by David Kelley, Bonny Bettman and Betty Taylor, are constantly crying about Wal-Mart and its expansion toward the wetlands. Yet they are OK with the Eugene Water & Electric Board paving over these same wetlands. They shafted the people of Eugene in the PeaceHealth debacle, and they are going to do it again with the loss of the $25 million site upgrade for EWEB -- and the loss of one more wetland.
But again, the people of this republic will get exactly what they voted for: No growth, no jobs and a return to the way people thought in this tiny republic from the 1960s through the '80s. Mayor Jim Torrey was turning around the way Eugene was seen outside of this tiny republic, but with the recent election, all will be lost.
I congratulate the people of this small republic on bringing back the past and being willing to re-live the failure that it was. When businesses no longer want to bring jobs here and the jobs Eugene has cannot support the mayor-elect's $14-an-hour jobs with benefits included, people will have no one to blame but themselves.
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Letter -- Why are hospitals moving?
| By Carolee T. Campbell, Springfield | June 10, 2004 |
As a child growing up in Springfield, I remember the evening that several of Springfield's business leaders came to our home to discuss the financing of a hospital for Springfield. It was with great pride that my parents agreed to help finance that hospital. My parents were far from rich, but the payments for their donation were made each month. Because of residents like my parents, McKenzie-Willamette Hospital became a reality.
Now, as an adult still living in Springfield, I am disappointed with the decisions being made with respect to relocating McKenzie-Willamette to Eugene. PeaceHealth has taken advantage of the rebuke by the Eugene City Council and is attempting to move to property in Springfield that was not zoned for hospital use. The location is not convenient for most residents of Springfield or Eugene.
PeaceHealth should continue to operate Sacred Heart Medical Center at its present location and if necessary, set up satellite locations to deal with non-surgical procedures. McKenzie-Willamette should use the property it has purchased around the current hospital for the expansion that was intended for that property.
The proposed siting of McKenzie-Willamette on the Eugene Water & Electric Board property would seem to be a risky proposition -- for the siting of any hospital. As an employee of EWEB at the time the new headquarters was built, I watched in amazement as pilings for the building disappeared into the landfill that makes up the riverbank location.
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Health Care, etc.
Housing, health care costs weigh on county's needy
By Susan Palmer
The Register-Guard | June 11, 2004 |
Health care and housing costs are hitting vulnerable local families hard -- harder, in fact, than ever before recorded in the 12 years that United Way of Lane County has surveyed residents about their needs.
The survey found that 35 percent of 1,200 people polled reported problems paying for medication or visits to doctors, and 32 percent lacked health insurance.
On housing, 21 percent said they struggled with the rent or mortgage, and 23 percent said they couldn't always pay their utility bills. The United Way has conducted a needs assessment survey periodically since 1992. (more...)
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United Way Report
Eugene -- Medical expenses, high rent and a lack of jobs is contributing to increased struggles among low income residents. A new report out by United Way of Lane County paints a picture of more people in need. (more...)
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Thousands will lose health plan coverage
By Tim Christie
The Register-Guard | June 9, 2004 |
The steady erosion of the Oregon Health Plan continued Tuesday when state health officials said they will slash enrollment in the Standard benefit package over the next year.
The Standard plan covers low-income adults who don't qualify for traditional Medicaid. The state will stop enrolling new members on July 1, and cut the number of enrollees by more than half -- from about 51,000 to around 25,000 -- by June 30, 2005. As recently as January 2003, the plan had 110,000 members. (more...)
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Health care spending increases slow
By Theresa Agovino
The Associated Press | June 9, 2004 |
NEW YORK -- The rate of growth in health care spending fell for the second year in a row in 2003 as demand for health services dropped because workers were forced to pick up more of the tab for their care and a surge from a change in managed care policies ebbed.
However, experts said costs are still outpacing inflation and remain a grave concern as more people can't afford health care. (more...)
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Prescription buyers wary of warnings
By Tim Christie
The Register-Guard | June 10, 2004 |
Drug regulators and pharmacists are warning Oregon consumers about the potential risks of getting their prescription drugs from Canadian and other foreign sources, even as momentum appears to be building to legalize the practice.
Pharmaceuticals purchased from outside the United States can be unsafe, ineffective or even counterfeit, with no guarantees of their strength, quality and purity, leaders of the new campaign say. (more...)
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Commentary -- Solution to drug prices is insurance, not Canada
| By Laura Cooper | June 8, 2004 |
Public officials have begun to embrace the idea of allowing Americans to bring in cheaper drugs from Canada. Unfortunately, reimporting drugs at lower prices could produce disastrous results for our health care system in the long run.
We should at the very least go slow on reimportation, if not forego it altogether. (more...)
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Nearby Developments
'Big picture' necessary part of urban renewal proposal
By Bob Keefer
The Register-Guard | June 12, 2004 |
Urban renewal districts proposed for Glenwood and downtown will be the main topic Monday night when leaders from the Springfield Chamber of Commerce get together with the City Council for an hourlong discussion.
The council work session begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Jesse Maine Room, City Hall, 225 Fifth St. (more...)
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Council approves parcel annexation on Game Farm
By Amber Fossen
The Springfield News | June 9, 2004 |
The city may become a little more plump.
Springfield City Council members Monday adopted a resolution initiating the expedited annexation of a 5.09-acre parcel on Game Farm Road. The resolution will go forward to the Lane County Local Government Boundary Commission for final approval.
The Piculell Group Inc. of Portland plans to develop the 219,309-square-foot parcel at 3360 Game Farm Road into 18 single-family residential home sites. The vacant church located at the site will remain on its own lot.
Marty Peets, a partner with Piculell Group Inc., said Piculell is not too far along in the subdivision application process but plans on starting construction within the year. (more...)
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Call center rivals have similarities
By Sherri Buri McDonald
The Register-Guard | June 10, 2004 |
It's no wonder Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. may be having trouble choosing between Eugene-Springfield and Spokane for a 300-person reservations call center.
The two metro areas are remarkably alike in factors most important to customer-service centers, such as workforce quality and operating costs.
But one difference -- and it could be the clincher -- is the cost of labor. In Eugene-Springfield, wages appear to be lower than in Spokane. (more...)
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Editorial -- Cruising for jobs: Lane County duels with Spokane for call center
| The Register-Guard | June 12, 2004 |
There are a ton of great reasons why Royal Caribbean Cruises would be smart to choose the Eugene-Springfield area for its new 300-person reservations call center. (more...)
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Waiting game: Federal courthouse may -- or may not -- prompt a revival
By Diane Dietz
The Register-Guard | June 13, 2004 |
When talk turns to visions of a swank new commercial district rising around the proposed federal courthouse in downtown Eugene, restaurateurs John and Bonnie Marineau take it with a grain of salt. Or rather, enough grains of salt to encrust a wide-rimmed margarita glass.
For 45 years, the Marineau family has served margaritas and enchiladas at Moreno's Mexico across the street from the courthouse site. They've seen how Eugene's big dreams take decades to become reality. Bonnie Marineau figures the courthouse district won't be any different.
She even speculates that in her lifetime, the $70 million courthouse may not arise in steel splendor at the former Agripac canning factory site. Since the dedication on April 7, she's kept a close eye on the fenced-off site, and little has happened. (more...)
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Competition, criticism dim power plant's chances
By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard | June 7, 2004 |
Building a power plant in Oregon is much like running a 100K ultramarathon.
Many competitors show up at the start. But the rugged permitting process, the obstacles thrown on the course by opponents and the risky wilderness of a cutthroat, deregulated market thin the pack drastically by the time survivors cross the finish line.
And in the race in Oregon to win permits for natural gas-fired generating plants, the controversial West Cascade Energy Facility -- the proposed 900-megawatt gas-fired plant that would sit about two miles north of Coburg -- is running dead last. (more...)
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Power plant in Coburg hits snag
By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard | June 8, 2004 |
The developer of the controversial power plant proposed near Coburg will put his application for an air pollution permit on hold for one year while officials collect more atmospheric data.
Citing a flawed model used to estimate the amount of airborne particulate matter the plant would emit, the Lane Regional Air Pollution Authority asked Gary Marcus to put his application on the back burner while officials gather more information. Marcus and his business partner are funding the extra work. (more...)
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Water new battleground over power plant
By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard | June 12, 2004 |
COBURG -- A modern-day water war is erupting over a developer's plan for how to cool the controversial natural-gas-fired power plant proposed north of Coburg.
The developer, Gary Marcus, is running into opposition on his proposal to use an irrigation canal to supply the cooling water for his plant. And he's also facing obstacles in his alternate proposal to build a 4-mile-long pipeline under country roads to bring water from the Mc- Kenzie River directly to the plant.
The conflicts are the latest to emerge in Marcus' quest to build the 900-megawatt West Cascade Energy facility on 100 acres of farmland. The plant is already drawing fire from residents who say it will emit too much pollution -- a claim Marcus denies. (more...)
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Elections
Editorial -- County shift on horizon: East Lane district could change hands
| The Register-Guard | June 10, 2004 |
Lane County Commissioner Don Hampton must have been discouraged when election returns on May 18 showed him falling far short of the 50 percent of the vote needed to avoid a runoff in November. He'll be even more discouraged to review the detailed results, showing how the votes were distributed in the East Lane district. The Cottage Grove area is the district's population center, and that's where Faye Stewart, who emerged as Hampton's opponent in the runoff, ran strongest.
Stewart's second-place finish may presage a re-emergence of traditional alignments on the Board of Commissioners -- alignments that make Hampton look like an anomaly. (more...)
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Heavy liberal vote propelled Piercy victory
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | June 8, 2004 |
CORRECTION (ran 6/9/2004): Eugene City Council candidate Andrea Ortiz received 59.3 percent of the vote in May 18 primary election, compared with Ward 7 City Councilor Scott Meisner, who received 40.3 percent. An article on Page D1 on Tuesday listed incorrect vote percentages for both candidates.
Former state Rep. Kitty Piercy may have dubbed herself "mayor for all Eugene," but she won last month's primary election largely because of support from the southern half of the city.
Final May 18 election results certified late last week show that Piercy outpolled City Councilor Nancy Nathanson in 19 of the city's 34 voting precincts, with 17 of Piercy's winning precincts in south or southwestern Eugene. The results also show that Piercy even had relatively strong support in north Eugene, where Nathanson carried the day.
For some observers, this pattern was set by the top of the ticket: Democrats turned out heavily to pick a presidential nominee, while Republicans and other conservative-leaning voters were less likely to vote, knowing already that George W. Bush was their man. (more...)
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Kelly Talks Politics at CPA Gathering
| Eugene Weekly | June 10, 2004 |
Should progressives in Eugene see their victories in the May elections as a mandate to charge ahead with a whole new liberal agenda for the community? Not necessarily, said Councilor David Kelly, keynote speaker at the Citizens for Public Accountability (CPA) annual meeting June 2. (more...)
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Editorial -- A polarized landscape: Uniting Eugene's fractured voters will be hard
| The Register-Guard | June 13, 2004 |
Mayor-elect Kitty Piercy's laudable aspiration is to be mayor of all Eugene -- to be a uniter, not a divider. Yet the May 18 election results confirm that long-standing political differences are carved into Eugene's political landscape. The Eugene City Council is sure to remain sharply divided on certain issues. Piercy can, however, count on having a council that is friendly to her general point of view not just for two years, but for four. (more...)
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